Medalist fulfilling dreams

Li Lu captured Olympic gold for China; now she’s coaching others here

Li Lu may be the best kept secret in Mountain View.

Council works to end term limits on town committees

LAH Council roundup

Last Thursday’s Los Altos Hills city council meeting made significant strides in eliminating term limits and studying path in-lieu fees, along with a discussion of town goals and objectives.

News Briefs

The filing period for candidates wishing to run for city, school or special district offices in the November General Election ends at 5 p.m., Aug. 11.

Available seats in the Los Altos-Mountain View area include: two full-term and two short-term seats on the Whisman School Board; two seats on the Mountain View School Board; two seats on the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School Board; three seats on the El Camino Hospital District; and three seats on the Purissima Hills Water District.

Rooster too noisy to suit neighbors, noise ordinance

A dispute between neighbors over a crowing rooster escalated into dramatic testimonials at last Thursday’s Los Altos Hills City Council meeting that left some looking forward to a good night’s sleep and others questioning the validity of the town’s noise ordinance.

Council members ordered the rooster’s owner, Cheryl Breetwor, either to bring the rooster’s crowing down to a permissible level or to remove the rooster entirely. Breetwor was given 30 days to comply.

Troubles in Los Altos Police Department not unforeseen, according to audit

Town Crier Staff Write

The resignation of another police officer pushed the number of vacancies on the Los Altos Police force to nine last week, leaving the 33-member department in what some have called a crisis situation.

Labor groups refuse city’s proposals

Public Works

Morales said the public works department was at the same place as it was at the start of negotiations.

Reconsider arts committee decision

What’s up with the city council these days? While police and public works employees plead for better treatment and staff vacancies continue to mount at an alarming rate, council members at their last meeting decided to disband a group of hard-working volunteers committed to bringing the arts to Los Altos.

The Los Altos Arts Committee, which initiated the outdoor sculpture program, library lecture series, and juried exhibitions, has been terminated. Its responsibilities are now part of the city’s parks and recreation commission.

Letters to the Editor

I am a resident of Los Altos and I am deeply concerned about the way the city is handling its police department. I want to second Mr. Perdriau’s (letters to the editor July 12) comments about the professionalism of the department and endorse his call to action. Fix it now.

Here is the political reality of the situation. The Los Altos Police Department has the full support of the citizens of Los Altos. The K-9 and D.A.R.E. programs are good examples. Citizens came together in an amazing grass roots effort to raise $22,000 for the K-9 unit. The D.A.R.E. car was made possible entirely by donations of time, materials, and craftsmanship. When asked to help, Los Altos listened. Why? Because our safety and the safety of our children is important to us.

Changing channels

Media Watch

Follow the bouncing news anchors. Local television journalism is a bit more than that, of course, but it’s clear that recent developments and directions at especially KNTV Channel 11 and KRON Channel 4 will be bringing even more changes.

Catching the quilting bug

Blue Jeans & Jelly Beans

We have treasured quilts in our family for a long time. My Aunt Mary made us two that cover beds. We also inherited a 150-year-old quilt from my grandfather, which we keep carefully. But I certainly never considered making one myself.

Be fair and reward our quality officers

Kallshian’s Korner

If you are a “penny pincher,” or prefer the beauty of a sheriff’s uniform to that of a cop’s, please stop reading.

Pages of the Past

In Los Altos: Harold Simmonds’ Story (Reprinted from the Los Altos News, July 13, 1950).

Though far from being detached from the frustrations and mad pitch of modern living, Harold Simmonds has found sanctuary in a homely philosophy akin to the Will Rogers brand, as he leans back in a hard chair in his gas station at Loyola Corners. Often referred to as the “Sage of Loyola Corners,” Simmonds draws on a cigarette as he relates a few experiences accumulated during his 21 years in Los Altos.

Upcoming Events

Rock Back the Clock, a fund-raiser for the Festival of Lights Parade, at Rancho Shopping Center, Los Altos.

Oct. 7

Police Report

July 23, 1:54 a.m., Ravensbury Drive: A motorist involved in a hit-and-run accident was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, according to police.

Wandering child

RotaCare Free Clinic moving to Castro Street

One of the many grants the Rotary Club of Los Altos makes is $5,000 to the RotaCare Free Clinic in Mountain View. The clinic serves the working poor and impoverished in the Los Altos-Mountain View area.

Next month, the clinic will be moving to 1174 Castro St. It had been located in the Parish Hall of St. Athanasius Catholic Church on Rengstorff Avenue for the last five years, but it will now have its own home.

Los Altos walkers march in breast cancer crusade

More than 2,000 marchers, many of them Los Altos residents, will line up at De Anza College in Cupertino at 7 a.m. Friday and begin walking to San Francisco. They’ll be doing it for good health, but more importantly for a good cause - raising money for breast cancer research.

“It’s amazing how breast cancer affects everybody. I’m going to walk this crusade and if I can make even the smallest amount of difference, that’s what I’m after,” said Lynne Lee, walker No. 3168.

The Bard is coming to Los Altos for free performances, thanks in part to resident’s donation

Bus Barn Stage Company announced the opening of its first “Free Shakespeare In The Park” production, “Twelfth Night,” by William Shakespeare. The play is directed by Los Altos native, Tom Gough.

The free performances are scheduled for 4 p.m., Aug. 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20 in Shoup Park, 400 University Ave., in Los Altos.

Ralph Vetterlein Mediation Fund established

Besides serving as the director and a mediator of the Los Altos Mediation Program, Vetterlein also promoted 1998 as “The Year of the Good Neighbor” by suggesting various activities to encourage neighbors to get better acquainted.

Contributions may be made to the “Ralph Vetterlein Mediation Fund” and mailed to Los Altos Community Foundation, 183 Hillview Ave., Los Altos 94022.

Seniors News

The Los Altos Senior Center is located in the Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave., in Los Altos. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. For more information call 948-7483.

The Mountain View Senior Center is located at 266 Escuela Ave. Mountain View. For more information, call 903-6330.

Library News

Funnyman Daffy Dave is scheduled to perform a comedy-magic routine for children ages 5 and older from 3-3:45 p.m., today in the Los Altos main library Program Room.

The children’s librarians will present “Harry Potter Hullabaloo,” fun and games based on the popular Harry Potter books on Aug. 2.

History museum goes on record for ‘Memories’

Los Altos History Museum’s July 15 “Music and Memories: The Way We Were” program offered a glimpse into the ways people used to listen to music.

The program recalled old-time recordings as Norm Rehbein and Jim Nichols were on hand to display Edison Ambersol Records.

Calendar

Los Altos Senior Center, 9-3 p.m., Monday through Friday, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos.

Today

Community Briefs

Project Match has scheduled a workshop on home sharing at 1:30 p.m., Aug. 8, in the Los Altos Senior Center, 97 Hillview Ave.

Would you like help in maintaining your home, preparing meals, housekeeping or driving? Are you lacking companionship in your housing situation? Would you like to rent out that spare bedroom, but have never been a landlord before?

H-P helps Silicon Valley teachers buy homes

One of the more pressing issues in Silicon Valley has been the recruitment and retention of teachers in the school districts.

The area is experiencing a shortage of qualified teachers because of high housing costs.

LAHS senior is ‘write’ on the mark with essay

Writing on a book about individualism, one Los Altos High School senior stands out from the crowd.

Eunpi Cho won the $1,000 third-place prize in the Ayn Rand Institute’s 15th “Fountainhead” essay contest last month. She earned recognition among the 3,500 students who entered the contest from the judges at the southern California-based Institute, and the legions of Rand fans worldwide.

LASD excels amid controversy over state’s STAR testing

In what is quickly becoming a summer ritual, thousands of students, teachers, and administrators throughout California collectively exhaled July 17 as STAR test results were released to the public.

Los Altos School District officials hardly had reason to worry, though, as students scored on average in the 89.5 percentile on the 4-hour test which includes multiple choice sections in reading, math, language, and spelling.

2000 STAR test results for local high schools

For a complete breakdown of subject areas and grade levels, visit the California Department of Education’s Web site at www.cde.ca.gov.

Noteworthies

Zachary J. Silver of Los Altos received a bachelor of science degree in economics from the University of Oregon June 10.

Sonya Y. Allen of Mountain View received a degree in food science from Cal Poly June 10.

Montclaire student’s essay featured in Mercury

When Aubrey Osborne, a student from Montclaire School, writes a letter, the editor of the San Jose Mercury News takes note.

Osborne’s letter-to-the-editor warning about the dangers of water waste was published in the newspaper’s Opinion section June 17.

Los Altos all-stars shine in District 44 playoffs

9-10s capture title, too

The Los Altos/Los Altos Hills 9-10 All-Stars beat Cupertino National 6-4 July 19 at Smith Field in Santa Clara to win the first District 44 championship in league history.

Sports On The Side

The Bank of the West Classic started Monday and runs through Sunday at Taube Family Tennis Stadium at Stanford University. The $535,000 WTA Tour event features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. Lindsay Davenport, the two-time defending champion, will be joined by former Bank of the West champ Monica Seles, Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, French Open champion Mary Pierce, Anna Kournikova and Jennifer Capriati. Tickets are $10-$60. For tickets and more information, call (415) 296-7676 or visit the event Web site at bankofthewest.bayinsider.com

Football in July

NOVA qualifies for national tournament

The NOVA softball team is headed to the ASA Western National Championships, set for Aug. 8-13 in College Station, Texas.

NOVA, consisting of 12 girls from Los Altos and Mountain View, will compete in the 12-and-Under Class B Fast Pitch Division.

Los Altos soccer coach assisting U.S. futsal team

Even the most devoted sports fanatics may not know what futsal is, but Vava Marques said that could change by 2004.

That’s the year futsal - a five-on-five version of soccer played on a smaller field - is expected to become an Olympic sport.

Schools reveal spring sports award winners

Baseball

Pitcher of the Year - Joe Guy

PT Works: Where pain sufferers get relief the old fashioned way

Business Profile

Los Altos Hills resident Beverly Bryant considers PT Works her haven for physical therapy because of co-owner Allison Barker.

Business Briefs

Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone announced the total net assessed value of all real and business personal property in the area. In Los Altos, the total net assessed value grew from $4.06 billion to $4.49 billion, representing a 10.56 percent increase. In Los Altos Hills, the net assessed value grew from $2.06 billion to $2.39 billion, representing a 16.25 percent increase.

At 16.25 percent, Los Altos Hills experienced the largest percentage growth in the county. Overall, according to Stone, “the county’s assessed value has grown a stunning 75 percent” since 1990.

Stocks stumble over earnings surprises

Stock Report

The market is up. The market is down, and it’s usually down after a high-tech heavyweight like Agilent Technologies announces their third-quarter earnings will disappoint the market. Agilent turned out to be the biggest loser in percentage points on the New York Stock Exchange last week.

Transactions

Los Altos

1397 Lloyd Way - D. Boyers to T. & D. Harris for $740,000.00

Main Street optician Rick War, 78, loved his customers

If you lost a screw in your eye glasses or they needed tightening, you stopped to see Rick War at Rick’s Village Optical on Main Street. He was always glad to see his customers, and he usually did small tasks for free.

Fellow retailers along Main Street and his many customers will miss his generosity. Mr. War died of cardiac arrest July 5 in El Camino Hospital. He was 78.

Obituaries

Elizabeth “Betty” Hand died July 6 in Mountain View. A native of California, she was 82.

Mrs. Hand was a librarian with the Sunnyvale Library.

Births

Twins, a son and daughter, were born May 17 to Kari Winfield-Waters and Martin Joseph Waters, III of Mountain View.

A daughter was born May 18 to Anna Shadman and Kamran Mohajer of Los Altos.

Engagements

Christy Chapman and Joshua Cozby have announced their engagement to be married Oct. 21 in Santa Cruz.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Janet Chapman of Davis and Kirk Chapman of Burlingame. She graduated from Los Altos High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, and an MBA from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

Two plays opening at Palo Alto Children’s Theater

Palo Alto Children’s Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, is presenting two popular Broadway productions starting this week.

“The Music Man” opened Tuesday, with additional performances set for 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., today and Thursday.

Afribbean Music & Cultural Festival coming to Mtn. View this weekend

The eighth annual Afribbean Music & Cultural Festival comes to Castro Street in Mountain View Saturday and Sunday.

Presented by Global Culture and Arts, Inc., of Santa Clara County, the festival intends to showcase and celebrate cultural diversity in a fun, festive and family-oriented atmosphere.

Bus Barn’s ‘This Day’ speaks to mothers

Theater review

“This Day And Age,” the drama closing Bus Barn Stage Company’s season, speaks to two generations: those now in their 30s and 40s and their parents.

Peninsula Youth Theatre puts on ‘Dreamcoat’

Peninsula Youth Theatre is set to present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” Friday through Aug. 6 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s popular musical retells the Bible story. PYT’s production features children ages 8 and up in all roles. The production is being directed by Kristin Walter.

Cactus fancier shares secrets of outdoor success

When you fall in love with cactus, it’s a lifelong obsession. At least that’s what happened to Jack Buktenica, a retired Palo Alto landscape architect.

“I consider them one of the most remarkable forms of life. They survive in a tough environment, and yet they are so delicate that it takes them years to recover from injuries,” he said of his cactus, all started from small cuttings.

For new home gardening ideas, visit local public gardens

This time of year you may have a little extra time to seek inspiration in local public gardens.

I’ve been introduced to many of my own garden’s most successful plants in these gardens and also gleaned ideas for benches, fences, and path-making materials. (Incidentally, all of these gardens welcome gardening volunteers; you can picnic in all of them, except Filoli.)

Restoring older furniture: best leaving it to the pros

Business profile

For adding soul to a room, it’s hard to beat antique wood furniture - maybe a deacon’s bench for the hall, an antique sideboard in the dining room, a fine old dressing table in the bedroom or bath. But if you are like most people, it is hard to judge if a distressed piece is worth restoring and whether you should attempt to tackle the job yourself.

Home Briefs

The Weeks Street Garden in East Palo Alto needs volunteers every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The community garden is located at 831 Weeks St. For more information, call 325-9184.

Summer workshops at Filoli

Reviving the roost

A delicate balance of old and new: Bernis and Larry Kretchmar of Los Altos

When you’ve lived in a home for 35 years and raised three children there, it’s not easy to balance precious family memorabilia with the latest design trends. People tend either to hunker down into a style of decades past or to throw out all the old stuff and bring in all the new.